Cliff Freeman awarded $80 mil Hardee's account

Published on November 16, 2000.

Cliff Freeman & Partners, New York, have got the beef again. Freeman was awarded the estimated $80 million Hardee's Food Systems account on Nov. 15 beating out TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa del Rey, Calif., and WestWayne, Atlanta. Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., also a finalist, pulled out of the review, according Hardee's. Johnson/Ukropina, Irving, Calif., previously handled. Mr. Freeman, known for having penned Wendy's tagline: "Where's the Beef?" while he was at the now-defunct Dancer Fitzgerald Sample agency, pitched the Hardee's account himself. It is the largest fast-food account for the Freeman shop since it lost Little Caesar Enterprises several years ago. The Freeman agency currently handles the Quizno's Corp. sandwich chain, but will not have to resign the business, a Hardee's executive said, citing different trading areas, dayparts and customer bases. New Freeman creative for Hardee's, expected to break in the first quarter, is not expected to use edgy story lines such as have been employed in Freeman's Quizno's work. "Our customers are southeastern and midwestern with traditional values,'' said Hardee's Chief Marketing Officer Brad Haley. "Edgy, in your face, is not the formula. Humorous and breakthrough is.''